Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to an obstacle detecting system and method. More particularly, exemplary embodiments relate to an obstacle detecting system and method which efficiently detects obstacles using a MEMS (micro electro mechanical system) LIDAR sensor system.
Discussion of the Background
Recently, an obstacle detecting system is provided in a vehicle in order to prevent a negligent accident caused by colliding with obstacles or a person while driving the vehicle. Such an obstacle detecting system detects presence of obstacles near the vehicle to notify a driver of the presence of obstacles using a warning sound or a displaying light.
In the meantime, an LIDAR sensor system is a system which is attached onto a windshield of the vehicle and observes obstacles outside the vehicle to detect the obstacles and observe an environment.
The LIDAR sensor may be classified into a short range LIDAR, a scan LIDAR, an MEMS LIDAR, and a 3D flash LIDAR.
In the meantime, an MEMS LIDAR sensor system of the related art is required to have a wide angle of view in order to prepare for a cut-in situation, specifically when an obstacle in front of a vehicle is detected or a vehicle in a next lane cuts in. Here, in order to increase an angle of view of the sensor, a resolution needs to be increased. If only the angle of view is increased without increasing the resolution, a spatial resolution is low, so that a rate of detecting the front obstacle is lowered, which cause the performance to be lowered.
In order to increase the angle of view of the sensor, a resolution of the sensor needs to be increased and the resolution is proportional to a high repetition rate of a laser and a detector. However, since a performance of a repetition rate of the laser and the detector is iii limited in the MEMS LIDAR sensor system, a resolution of the sensor which may be obtained with the limited repetition rate is also limited.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.